We soon reached the canoe, which lay just as we had left her, and, taking her in tow, we pulled away at once straight for the brig.
In half an hour we reached her, and, contrary to the pirate’s surmise, “old Steve” proved to be pretty broad awake.
“Boat ahoy!” hailed he, as we approached.
“Ay, ay!” answered Bob. “Is that you, Steve?”
“In course it is,” replied that worthy. “Who the h—l are you, and what do you want off here at this no time o’ night?”
“Whisht!” returned Bob warningly. “Belay all that, you old sinner; there’s no need to let everybody know as two friends has brought ye off a bottle of grog and a bit of queerish kind of news. Heave us a rope’s-end, will ye? for it’s that dark that hang me if I can find anything to make fast this here boat’s painter to!”
“Ay, ay,” answered “Steve;” “look out—here ye are! But who are ye at all? I can’t make out your woice, d—n me if I can! And who’s that with ye?”
“Not make out my woice!” retorted Bob. “No, I s’pose you can’t. And I ain’t surprised at it neither, considerin’ the bushels of smoke as I’ve swallered from that fire ashore, and the thousands of muskeeters as has flied down my throat; so that’s all right. Here’s the grog, old cock.”
“Steve” leaned over the bulwarks and seized the grog, and Bob and I both climbed the brig’s side at the same instant. In another moment “Steve” was on his back, with Bob’s knee and his whole weight on his chest; and I was soon busy securing the prisoner with a piece of the rope which was lying about in any quantity on the deck. This was quickly done, and the man gagged with a belaying-pin; after which we made a rapid tour of the deck, cabin, and forecastle, and satisfied ourselves that there was no one else on board to dispute or interfere with our actions.
We decided to set the brig on fire in three places—forward, aft, and in midships—and we lost no time in making our preparations. We found a lot of old sails in a locker at the fore end of the forecastle, and these we divided, taking away a sufficiency to kindle a good rousing fire in the hold; and over these, as soon as we had deposited them in a suitable position, as well as over those remaining in the locker, we poured a few buckets of tar from a cask we found abroach on deck.